This is also a sneaky way to ensure plenty of blue color in the garden. Above, the pot to the right with the bromeliad was originally designed to be a small birdbath, but the bottom split open in the kiln, so it will not hold water. (There are no mistakes in art, just changes in plans) A bowl becomes a flower pot when you poke a hole in the bottom.
Some of my pots were getting lost in my flower bed, and it was starting to look boring having everything at the same level. A large cobalt blue vodka bottle becomes an instant plant stand when you stuff it into the ground.
I got a little crazy and created a little butterfly bath (above). It has a little perch on the side and two little islands for them to perch on. It's filled with sand, which is kept wet.
If you don't have a custom-designed butterfly bowl, you can always improvise with any bowl filled with sand. A couple of pebbles gives the butterflies something to perch on, but shells are more common down here. I had to use dirty sand from my garden to fill it, as I haven't been to the beach yet this season to collect some beautiful white sand.
I was going to join the bouquet theme mentioned here: April's MGB --Monthly Garden Bouquet The day I decided to gather my flowers, however, nothing was cooperating. The flowers I picked wouldn't behave themselves in the bottle, and we had big storms moving in that made it so dark, I could only take a flash picture. (It looked terrible) I left the arrangement on the windowsill of my greenhouse with some blue bottles and forgot about it. Two days later, they were still looking perky and deserved to have their picture taken. The wine bottles were intended for a bottle tree, but for now they look so nice where they are.
What do you do when you have lots of bamboo and a rampant coral vine? You lash the bamboo together and build scaffolding around it.
It's a little ugly now, but the vine will grow through it and over it in no time. In previous seasons, it grew too close to the house and would creep under the porch. This will give it more sun and give it more room to spread. I can make it as high as I like. I have a lot of bamboo on my property.
15 comments:
What a clever idea to make a butterfly bath like that, and all the blues look very pretty. Love the bouquet in the blue bottle!
Hi Deb, it's amazing having lots of cobalt bottles that many! They are beautiful when grouped together. I can see you have a Tilandsia bloom at the background, while i have been waiting for 2 yrs with mine to flower again! The idea of butterfly perch (not butterfly bath maybe as they dont do that) is new to me, but i know they love to seep minerals and salts from rocks and wet pavements. There is another sure way of attracting them, that is by putting sliced sweet almost overripe fruits on the perch. We use plantain or cooking bananas. Surely they will love that especially if they lack flowers to get the nectars from. hehe.
Those are very creative ways to get the blue in your garden! I like your bouquets in the blue bottles as well. Very nice!
Thanks, everyone. I have millions of blue bottles. My kitchen is full of them. Everyone who drinks wine from a blue bottle gives it to me when they're done.
Andrea has a point. They are not really butterfly baths, as butterflies don't like to get wet. (They can't fly wet) A butterfly perch might be a more accurate description. They get thirsty, and like to stop for a drink now and then.
I cheated on the bromeliad. It already had a flower when I bought it.
Hello Deborah,
I love blue in the garden and your containers are just lovely. Your blue bottle bouquet is wonderful. I have added the link to my April's MGB post. Thank you for participating and for the link on your post :-)
Thanks, Noelle. I do admit that a blue bottle can make the most humble bouquet look good. Thanks for adding the link. :-)
BTW, all. I did make a new birdbath that is being fired soon, and hopefully will not crack.
Hi Deborah, thanks for the comment on my blog. I have been jumping around on your three sites. I feel your pain from hurricane Ivan...we had Isabel, though not as bad as what you went through. I see you have a bazillion steps up to you house now. wow.
Love love love your blue pottery. Will be back to read some more!
The shade of blue on your pottery is very soothing to the eye. Very pretty.
I love the cobalt blue color in the garden, and I like how the birdbath became a planter! Your bowls are lovely. Do you sell them? I also like your blue bottles!
I was saving my empty Harvey's Bristol Cream bottle because the bottle is such a pretty shade of blue. Thanks for the idea - (also another reason to buy another bottle).
Very nice...I love the blue! I'm like that with vegetable starts..I use everything that I can find as a container : )
Blue as a color is exciting for any garden. We do have bamboo assembled into trellis for beans to climb. ~bangchik
Hi Deborah, I admire your original creative recycling garden practices. I agree there are no mistakes in art just changes in plans. I wonder if that could be applied to life in general? Cheers, catmint
Janet, I visited North Carolina just after Isabel. Hatteras got hit pretty bad from that.
Thanks, Brandi. I do love that shade of blue.
Deb, I'm not selling anything yet, but we are purchasing a kiln, so I'm considering it if I come up with something clever.
Mya, ironically the one blue bottle I hadn't cleaned the labels from was the Harvey's Bristol Cream bottle.
Sunny, it's hard to throw out anything you can find a use for, and I can find a use for almost everything.
Banchik, I imagine you have lots of bamboo for trellises down there. I don't know why I didn't think of making trellises out of it before.
Catmint, I think you can indeed apply the "changes in plans" philosophy in life too.
I love your blue pottery!! Is there a special technique for creating the blend of blue'ish' colors. I don't do pottery but would love pots like that in my garden! I was thinking of something to put some engraved stones in for a fun pop of color!
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